Reflecting back on his time in Tallahassee — two years as a state representative and 10 years as a senator, all in and around Pinellas and Hillsborough counties — Brandes laments that, in many ways, the state capitol is something of a sausage-making factory that rarely stops to look at the quality, or even asses, the long-term results of its output.
Brandes is attempting to change that with his startup nonprofit think tank and policy bank, the Florida Policy Project. Along with Tampa-area consultant Amy Maguire, the organization’s executive director, the plan is for FPP to produce at least one policy report a month on four issues it believes have far-reaching impacts on Floridians: property insurance, criminal justice, transportation and housing. All four of those topics, notably, are top-of mind for business owners, executives and entrepreneurs.